Atomic processes stimulated by  ⁺decay in the Mu ion

Abstract

Electron–positron-pair annihilation and other atomic processes stimulated by μ+ decay in the negatively charged muonium ion Mu− (or μ+e−e−) are considered. Most attention is paid to (e+, e−)-pair annihilation, where a positron is produced during the decay of the μ+ muon. It is shown that the probability of two-photon (e+, e−)-pair annihilation P2(γ) is bounded between ≈1.04 × 10−6 and ≈6.91 × 10−6, while the total probability of secondary annihilation can be relatively large, ≈4.5 × 10−4 to 6.0 × 10−4. The radiative decay of μ+ muon, mounium–antimuonium conversion and some other μ+ decay channels are also discussed. In general, the study of muon decay in the muonium Mu− ion can improve our understanding of weak interactions and their role in atomic systems.

Hyperfine structure and -pair annihilation in the muonium–positronium MuPs and positronium hydrides

“…In the four-body MuPs system there is a possibility to observe a very interesting process of muonium (or µ + e − ) conversion into the charge conjugate system µ − e + [22] - [26]. The muonium-antimuonium conversion has attracted significant theoretical and experimental attention for many years (see, e.g., [22] - [26], [27], [28] and references therein).…”

“…The muonium-antimuonium conversion has attracted significant theoretical and experimental attention for many years (see, e.g., [22] - [26], [27], [28] and references therein). In atomic physics such a process corresponds to a spontaneous conversion of the incident atom into its anti-atom.…”

A short review about some exotic systems containing electrons, muons, and tauons

“…l À e þ conversion) in the muonium molecule can transform the four-body system (e À l þ e À l þ ) into the system ðl þ l À e þ e À Þ, which has no bound state [45]. We remind that for the three-body case we mentioned earlier that the system (l À e þ e À ) has no bound state [28], on the contrary to muonium negative ion (l þ e À e À ), which has a bound state [26], and it was observed by Kuang et al [25]. In case of a future observation of muonium molecule ðe À l þ e À l þ Þ, the comparison of recent observed positronium molecule (e À e þ e À e þ ) [16] with muonium molecule may provide a better understanding of theory of QED.…”

“…À ion can produce a number of secondary atomic processes and it is the most interesting process which can be observed with l þ muons in atomic structures [26]. In fact, l þ e À À!…”

“…The first observation of the negative muonium ion produced by electron capture in a beam-foil experiment has been done by Kuang et al [25]. This system has been studied, for example, by Frolov [26], and by Barham and Darewych [27]. The Mu À has only one bound (ground) state 1 S ðL ¼ 0Þ state [28].…”